Mwari Chronicles

Chapter 11

Natasha Hachibambo looked at the woman in front of her and smiled as she placed back down a cup of tea upon the table separating them. The smile was hollow and yet over the years she had learned to do this as easily as breathing.

The Queen looked at Honourable Lungu who smiled with an expression that was equal parts friendly and hungry. Frankly it made her skin crawl just how blatant the parliamentarian was with his desire. Did he think her another woman who would melt into his bed just because he invited her to his villa in El-Ushaka.

The only reason that Natasha accepted was because she needed to sink her hooks deeper into the parliamentarian. He was a duplicitous, lecherous and corrupt man and that made him a good tool for her purposes.

"I must say that I enjoy your tea, my thanks to your cook." Natasha said even as she used her Mwari to filter out the aphrodisiac that had been spiked into it.

"It is personal favourite of my guests." Lungu said with a face that was supposed to be charming and his hand slowly crept for her own and Natasha changed expression and fixed him with an icy glare that halted him in his place.

"Honourable Lungu, I am your friend and as such I would never wish for your death." she playfully said as she drew a single thread of Mwari that sent the hot water from the nearby flask floating out and dancing around her wrist.

Lungu briefly grimaced and quickly altered his face to that supposedly charming face of his own. Lungu softly picked up his cup and took a nervous sip before placing the cup back onto his bed.

"I do supposed that you wish to talk business?" he asked and Natasha nodded.

The truth was that most of what she would discuss here was known to her. She was simply cultivating in Lungu the idea that he was indispensable to her, the only thing that she wanted from him were his connections and her people in his household told her more than Lungu ever would.

"Lady Asthor has reached out to me." Lungu muttered as he took a sip of his tea. Of course Natasha already knew that, what she didn't know were the details.

"Oh did she, I suppose that she tried to buy your support?" she asked with a thickly veiled disinterest in her voice, a trick to lure Lungu into revealing even if distorted, some truth of his dealings with Asthor.

Lungu's mouth twisted into a brief second of annoyance, Natasha's disinterest had stabbed at his ego, just as intended. "She wants me to join her alliance block in the House Of Law... she wishes to push for Valon to join the war, in return of course I am to receive a chair at the war committee... should the venerable Malambo lose it for any reason."

Natasha had to hold in a deep exhausted breath. That was a council that she had not considered, of course she had known that a position of political office might be what Asthor would offer Lungu, its just that her thoughts were a seat on a blue copper mining or trade committee.

This would be the best thing that Lungu would choose considering his ties to Valons underworld. It was truthfully the only thing about him that impressed Natasha, few politicians had invested in the criminal world than Lungu, it helped him make money and survive the turbulent world of politics by pretending to be a small Kapenta in the lake, when reality he was a Elephant Fish.

She could see an eagerness in Lungus eyes, he wanted to hear her counter offer and Natasha had three. She slid a mirthful mask upon her face as she brought a cup to her lips. "I am quite shocked that she would offer you a seat of sand."

Lungu gave her a facial expression that bordered between confusion and offence. "A seat of sand?"

"Of course, a seat at the war committee is profitable, don't get me wrong, but lets say Valon sends it Mushirikari legions on expedition and they don't perform as promised..." Natasha paused to take a long sip of her tea to let the words sink into Lungus mind. "...Well, let's just say that there are more people who might want that position."

Lungu's false charm was dropped and now a permanent scowl was stitched to his face as he asked. "Surely the entire war committee could not be replaced. Twelve committee members is a lot."

"For the six military representatives maybe, but the politicians... " Natasha gave an all too predatory smile. "...They come and go as per the whims of those who need transactions."

Lungu's mood was now truly soured and with hooks sank in, Natasha was going to rell him in. "Of course a seat at the ministry transport, or the committee of border control or even the ministry of mines are quite more lasting and under the view of volatile politics, but that is just my opinion."

She knew that each one of these would help Lungu's ties to the criminal underworld, her little trap for him and them. She would use it to see their activities and when the time was ripe, she would rip her harvest and leave it to law enforcement to sweep them up.

"And pepper don't think that we are punishing crime." she jokingly thought as she looked to Lungu whose mental wheels were spinning as he analysed every part of her words.

"That seat with the ministry transport sounds nice." Lungu's smile returned. "For the good of the realm my Queen. My loyalty would be unending. "

Natasha was tempted to roll her eyes at his flattery, she was sure that if she placed her boot on the table and told him to kiss it he would. "I and most importantly the Mwami are honoured by your support. "

Lungu's smile grew. "And my support is yours."

Natasha was not an idiot, she suspected that he had probably said the same thing to Asthor. He might lean towards her but Lungu had a history of eating from as many plates as possible. What she needed now was to push him over the edge, to leave him with an impression that he had some degree of power.

The door to the room opened and in came a guard dressed in fine silks and ornaments. The man almost froze in suprise when he saw her but he continued to Lungu's anyway, Natasha pretended to pay him no mind though her eyes followed him.

Spies were easy to find, good spies much harder and loyal spies, now that was a true rarity. The man whispering into Lungu's ear was a damn good spy, unfortunately he was not a loyal one and had Natasha been her younger impulsive self, she would have disposed of him.

She had little tolerance for a double agent, much less one who was one of Asthor's creatures. But she kept herself in check and now she would reap her harvest, she had over the past few days left hints for Lungu to realise that the man next to him was a spy, specifically her spy.

Lungu was already planning to get rid of the man and when he did, she knew that he would think that he was in control, when in reality he had tangled himself deeper into her web.